Atomic History

Since 1955, we've been supporting our members' dreams and aspirations with sensible, valuable products that help them get ahead. As we evolve and modernize, we will always remain committed to the age-old practice of treating people well.

From humble beginnings...

Atomic Credit Union was founded on November 28, 1955, nearly 25 years after the credit union movement began in Ohio. For nearly four decades, the credit union was established to serve "all retired or permanently employed personnel engaged in the operation of; maintenance of; or construction at the Atomic Plant site," along with immediate family members.

The field of membership began to change in the early 1990s when Atomic acquired Southern Ohio Savings Credit Union, Inc., which had a relatively small asset size but highly lucrative field of membership charter. The acquisition allowed Atomic to begin serving anyone who lives, works or worships in the following seven counties: Adams, Brown, Gallia, Highland, Lawrence, Pike and Scioto.

Branch offices and ATMs suddenly sprung up in Waverly, Portsmouth, and Piketon to support the growing needs of our new members. Soon after, Atomic's board realized the importance of building the credit union with multiple employer-based groups and community charters.

Atomic's focus on employer-based groups led to a 2005 partnership with one of southeastern Ohio’s largest employers, General Mills, resulting in a branch that serves General Mills employees and provides access to Wellston residents. In ensuing years, additional charters and expansions led to new branches in Chillicothe, Lucasville and Piketon, where the corporate office is located, as well as locations in Athens and Logan, which resulted from a 2009 acquisition of Hocking Valley Credit Union.

Worldwide financial turmoil before the start of this decade did not slow us down. Rather, we aggressively pushed forward, knowing southeastern Ohio residents needed a financial institution they could trust. We launched our Student-Run Credit Union branches during this time to benefit our youngest members and provide real-world working experience in the financial industry; today, we operate student-run branches in more than 35 schools in the region.

Growth has continued over the past few years with new branches opening in Minford, Oak Hill, Beaver and a second location in downtown Wellston, giving Atomic a total of 13 branches in southeastern Ohio.

Through all the change and expansion, we continue to focus on each member's unique needs, ensuring a personalized experience that helps people achieve their own definition of financial success.

Forbes, an American business magazine, has named Atomic Credit Union one of the Best-in-State Credit Unions in the State of Ohio.

President/CEO, Thomas D. Griffiths stated: “I am extremely humbled to have the Atomic Credit Union designated as one of the Best-in-State Credit Unions, knowing that the residents and businesses within our communities specifically selected Atomic. Being affirmed by Forbes is a pinnacle of success within any business industry. This, coupled with the fact that we received first place with national recognition as Best Credit Union to Work For 2018, shows we are having a banner year!”

Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to produce the first-ever look at the Best-In-State Banks and Credit Unions. Statista surveyed more than 25,000 customers in the U.S. for their opinions on their current and former banking relationships. These financial institutions were rated on 6 items: overall recommendations and satisfaction, trust, terms and conditions, branch services, digital services and financial advice.

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